Ahhhh, that's better. I'll definitely be fighting back if you take my pint...

Oh, sorry, pOint! :-P

OK - Devils advocate hat on. If I were to agree that smoking and non-smoking pubs were a good idea, how would it work? Assuming that 30% of the population are smokers would you agree that having 30% of pubs as smoking venues would be fair? I hope so. OK. Which 30% of the pubs become the smokers ones? Who decides? Would you not then have the same situation that you are complaining about - Ie that someone is imposing their will on the pubs? If so, we would therefore need some other way of doing it.

How about 30% of pubs volunteer to be smokers pubs? Can you or I, or anyone else for that matter, be sure that the 30% would be achieved? Would more pubs volunteer because, as you believe, smoking pubs make more money? Would less volunteer because, as I believe, non-smoking pubs make more money? What if there is only one or two pubs in the area? Fine for me - There are 30, leaving me 20 to go in. What about you though with only 2 pubs? How do you get 30% of 2 and still have seperate buildings? Do we now have to start saying that 30% of ALL premises (and not just pubs!) have to be put aside for smokers? How do we achieve that? How much is it going to cost to achieve that? Who is going to pay?

How about having a division where, as suggested, smoking pubs do not serve food? DO you think the landlords will be happy to loose the high-profit food business in return for the low-profit tobacco sales? What about our folk club? There are three of us running it. 2 don't smoke, one does. Do we have to have seperate nights out from our closest friends, family and spouses because we cannot sit in the same pubs and maintain everyones rights at the same time?

I put it to you that one law for everyone and every situation is a much fairer way than what you are suggesting. Now EVERYONE is on an even footing. All pubs are safe in the knowledge that non of them have any unfair advantage. All non-smokers are happy that they can go inside a pub without being subjected to smoke. All smokers are happy in that they can smoke OUTSIDE whichever pub they like.

Explain to me a workable model of what you suggest, covering all the above points and I will agree that it is better idea than the ban. If nothing else please think it through.

Beats doing what I am supposed to be doing anyday...:-D

Dave